They say that we really shouldn’t have an expectation of privacy online, and following last year’s leaks, that seems true more than ever. A Bolingbrook woman might have learned that lesson when she received a $50 citation for no apparent reason. What she didn’t know at first was that a Will County Forest Preserve protection officer interpreted a comment she left on Facebook to mean that she used a dog park without a permit. Without being given a chance to tell her side of the story the woman was simply issued a citation.
She posted a comment in response to concerns other dog owners had about kennel cough affecting dogs at the Whalon Lake Dog Park in Bolingbrook. “I was feeling bad that I haven’t bought a pass and been bringing Ginger there but I’m pretty glad I haven’t. So not going to worry about it until later. I hope all the doggies get better soon,” she wrote.
This was forwarded to the forest preserve protection officer by a district employee who believed it meant she used the park without a permit. Once a citation was issued the woman posted it along with the letter it came with to the page, refuting the claim that she had “knowingly entered a dog park without a valid 2014 permit.”
Marcy DeMauro, executive director of the Forest Preserve District said that the woman had contacted the district’s police chief and the matter was under review. DeMauro clarified that the district doesn’t monitor social media to find potential law breakers and any such information has to be treated like a tip and verified before any action is taken.
There’s good news for the woman, the citation issued to her will be recinded.
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